Major Gift Officer

January 11th 2019

Allegheny College, a small selective national liberal arts college, invites applications for the position of Major Gift Officer. The position is a full time exempt position reporting to the Director of Development and Major Gifts. Allegheny alumni and friends have supported the College for more than two centuries and the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs works to continually engage, inspire and call on our constituents to serve the College in a way that is most meaningful for them.

The position of Major Gift Officer (MGO) will focus on engaging and reconnecting alumni, parents and friends to the College through personal, professional and philanthropic involvement, and implement strategies that help secure gifts of $50,000 or more for the College. This successful individual will have expertise in building and managing relationships and meaningful engagement opportunities with a goal of raising $1-$2 million per year in cash, pledges and commitments to Allegheny College to support the initiatives put forward by the Board of Trustees and leadership of the College.

The successful candidate must be willing to meet challenging goals and must be capable of making significant, professional contributions to a happy and experienced team. The Major Gift Officer (MGO) will manage relationships with assigned prospective donors and be responsible for an assigned territory. He/she will also help identify and qualify new prospective donors, including alumni, parents and friends of the College. Extensive travel is required, with a minimum of 125 face to face visits per year as a goal. A gift officer who covers the territory where he/she lives, not using Meadville as a home base may be considered.

A successful candidate should have at least five years of professional fundraising experience raising the highest level of philanthropic gifts at an organization (preferably five or six figures and above); at least five years of professional fundraising experience in higher education; an advanced degree; experience working in other advancement departments such as donor relations and stewardship, donor communications and/or alumni relations.

One of the nation’s oldest liberal arts colleges, Allegheny College celebrated its bicentennial in 2015. A selective residential college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh near Lake Erie, Allegheny is one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives.” Allegheny College is known nationally as a place where students with unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents excel. In its 2018 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny among the top six Most Innovative national liberal arts colleges in the country. In its 2019 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny among the top 30 most innovative national liberal arts colleges in the country.

The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks Allegheny as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, specifically in the areas of compensation and benefits. Allegheny has a total undergraduate enrollment of just under 2,000 with students from 46 states [plus AE, AP, DC, GU, PR, VI] and 65 countries. The College’s picturesque location is ideal for outdoor recreation, with eight freshwater lakes, ski areas and recreational opportunities all within easy reach.

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and provide contact information for three references to the Office of Human Resources, Allegheny College, 520 N. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 or by e-mail to hr@allegheny.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. An offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.

Allegheny College is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Allegheny does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, or national origin.